I was watching ntv tonight and what I saw is really sad, very sad indeed! The Ugandans, the ones I always thought were our friends, made me feel very low and demoralized. They, apparently, have valid reasons for complaining, but their reaction and the language they are using is what I think is wanting, to say the least!
From what I saw on the news, it was alleged that the Kenyan policemen were demanding bribes from their counterparts from Uganda in order for them to be allowed to cross to Kenya. And so the Ugandans reported to their authorities, who in turn reported to their parliament. So the parliament had to dedicate several hours of their valuable time to discuss the conduct of the Kenya Police Service. And several MPs narrated how, on various occasions while on their way to Kenya, bribes have been demanded of them by the Kenyan policemen. A female MP showed a video said to have been shot several years ago, which, apparently, showed policeman taking a bribe from a lorry driver.
But we all know how we Kenyans castigate our policemen for their runaway corruption. It is a shame that we Kenyans are never comfortable living with, nor is it something that we are proud of! It is a disease that we are trying to cure, although we are not doing it very well!
It is in that light that I think our perceived friends are not really sincere. They are complaining in a way to suggest that these police actions are systematic. That is condoned by the authorities as if it is official. And so the parliamentarians are calling for the disbanding of the EAC. Even the speaker of the assembly was very furious, that she ordered for the foreign affairs minister, not the minister for EAC, to send an official complaint letter to the Government of Kenya!
The CITIZENS of East Africa need to Police the Police. Uku Kenya Police walijua kutoa pesa NDIO KAZI YAO. Corruption with Police will be sorted through a WORKING CITIZEN BASED REPORTING SYSTEM
Bravo! Hereâs the story told better!
[SIZE=6]Uganda MPs protest demands for bribe by Kenya Police[/SIZE]
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2320/data/43/-/1al6uwz/-/ico_plus.png[PRINT](âhttp://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Uganda-MPs-protest-demands-for-bribe-by-Kenya-Police/2558-3340986-view-printVersion-cylh23z/index.htmlâ)RATING
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3209872/medRes/966601/-/maxw/600/-/121s2n3/-/ug+bunge.jpg
Ugandan parliament in a past session. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
By NELSON WESONGA
Posted Thursday, August 11 2016 at 16:43
IN SUMMARY
Uganda MPs protest demands for bribe by Kenya Police
Ugandaâs Parliament, while expressing shock at the alleged mistreatment of some of its legislators in Kenya, has directed the Foreign Affairs ministry to protest to the neighbouring country.
This follows claims by two members of Parliament that when they travelled to Kenya recently, different Kenya Police staff stopped them â and demanded for money.
And, Parliament seemed to suggest â when it pointed out how Nigeria handled its diplomatic standoff with South Africa â that Uganda could make it less pleasurable for Kenyans to travel through Uganda.
âIf you read your passports, they say âthis is to require, in the name of the President of Uganda, that you allow this person to moveâ. If they are objecting to our movement in their country, it is an insult to the President of the Republic of Uganda,â said the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga.
âIt is very serious. We cannot go on like this. We are directing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a diplomatic note immediately to the Government of Kenya.â
Earlier, Mbale Woman Representative Connie Galiwango told the House that when she travelled from Uganda to Kenya to attend her daughterâs wedding in the coastal Mombasa County, different Kenya Police traffic policemen at different roadblocks demanded for money from her.
When she said she would not pay, some of the policemen held her briefly whereas others threatened to lock her up.
âI do not see how the East African Community is helping Ugandans. When Kenyans come to Uganda, we treat them well. However, when we are in their country, they mistreat us. Our leaders have to address this issue otherwise the problem will persist,â Ms Galiwango said.
Usuk MP Peter Ogwang claimed he had to cut short a journey to Kenya after many policemen asked him for money.
Government Chief Whip Ruth Nankabirwa said Uganda is the most open to free movement of East African Community member states nationals within its borders.
âIt is unfortunate that the other countries do not reciprocate,â Ms Nankabirwa said. âThis matter is very serious. The Ministry of East African Community Affairs should object to the kind of treatment Kenya subjects Ugandans to.â
Kasilo MP Elijah Okupa said Uganda should reciprocate Kenyaâs treatment of Ugandans.
âWhen some Nigerian flew [from Nigeria] to South Africa and South Africa refused to allow them in because they did not have Yellow Fever [vaccination cards], the Nigerians flew back,â Mr Okupa said.
âWhen they arrived in Nigeria they reported the incident. And when [later] a South African Airways plane touched down at an airport in Nigeria, Nigerian customs officials said all South African passport holders should not alight from the plane unless they show HIV/AIDS status results.â
In March 2014, a prominent Kenyan Charles Njonjo argued that a referendum on East African unity is urgently required to properly legitimise the East African Community project among the people of all the current and proposed member countries.
Ukweli ni South Sudan and Uganda nationals kama wako na pesa na number plate zao karau anajua âhii ni pesa!â NOT âthis people are robbers - not employed in a $30,000 carâ
Mimi nilisafiri Uganda karibuni. At no particular time did I witness a police officer, whether upande wa Uganda or Kenya, asking for or talking in a way that made me think they were asking for a bribe! I think the Ugandan MPs are an arrogant lot!
Were you in a Ug number plate? NO
Now you are talking like them! You are insinuating that the ones in vehicles with Ugandan number plates are especially targeted for extortion?
And why does this bullshit sound like theyâre insinuating that whatever is happening/happened to them was sanctioned by the government of Kenya? That automatically makes them sound like a bunch of idiots. Why didnât they report the mistreatment to the Uganda high commission in Nairobi for the matter to be investigated by the relevant authorities, instead they are working on ways to mistreat kenyans in Uganda. Wapuzi sana.
And honestly alot of that story is suspect. How can a police officer (kenyan) threaten to detain a serving Ugandan member of parliament; hata kama kuna makosa? Unless of course these baggas are usually rude and fail to identify themselves to the cops. Hata kama karao wetu wanapenda vya bwerere kuna vile the story is one sided or total hogwashâŚ
From experience I travelled in a car bcoz haikuwa na number plate yetu tulisimamishwa na kuambiwa âIf we are not citizens of Uganda ⌠hi ni hatiaâ Punde si punde ⌠toa pesa ama.
Yenye they are making a mountain out of a mole hill. lakini watu wa Kenya tumezoe kutoa sana. that is what mimi naona wakisema
Are you listening to yourself, really?
You are reasoning like me here! The fuckersâ arrogance make them fail to identify themselves properly!
- I am Kenyan and reporting the police as having committed a crime in Kenya is impossible, lazima uwe MTU
- Boss vile mtu huambiwa you were overspeeding lazima utoe bond then in court it ends up being âReckless Drivingâ utashanga. I was caught overlapping, I did not have 5000 nika bargain mpaka nikaambiwa OCS ako na target ya kushika watu leo. The same day in High Court the charge read âReckless Driving⌠fine of KES15,000â
Elewa kitu moja, if it was a kawaida mwanachi wa Uganda, then your point No.1 is valid⌠But these dudes are Parliamentarians!!! Am sure hata phone call to their high commissioner inatosha kutisha the cop into letting em go; hata kama wako wrong (and i suspect wanakuwanga wana-overspeed)
No.2 Kama ungekuwa unafuata sheria hakuna vile karao angeku-single out for the OCSâ target to be met. And going by your sentiments that kenyan police ni wezi, you should have let them take you to court upigwe fine, and that would have prevented corruption. Instead (i can bet) you engaged the officer in âsweet-talkâ for him to either pardon you, or take an âagreeableâ amount of bribe to secure a pardon.
Alafu uko hapa accusing cops of corruption while are part and parcel to the problem.
Na venye karao huheshimu flags za nchi zingine; those guys arenât as innocent as they want their fellow MPigs to believe
Hawa Karau ni wezi. I went to High Court, was charged with Reckless Driving instead of Overlapping (The Real reason I was caught). I tried bribing but si kuwa na handbag⌠hizo siku Mpesa haikuwa imeanza. Bcoz I had pesa ndogo, I was told by Constable that the OCS said their is a minimum amout wana fa kuleta. kama naeza ongeza ⌠I will go. At the Police Station ata matatu walikuwa wanasema leo kuna âCrackdownâ
MP akona Flag?
overlapping is reckless driving, unless ofcourse you wanted to be charged with the more serious crime of dangerous driving
Itâs easy to assume what a state agent does as state sanctioned, even if it isnât.
The other day at Tmall, cops stopped a Ugandan plated car. Donno what happened or how, but judging from a distance and the duration of the stop, something must have been cookingâŚ
How many times do police stop vehicles and find the minutest of mistake to charge for?
A story is told of an honest Matatu Driver who was hated by cops as his vehicle never had any problems, hence no way of milking him, read that?
What about the story within the last week of how cops pay huge sums of money just to join the traffic department? Because they will recoup it multiple times over
What of the revelations from Police vetting that senior offices ask their juniors to collect certain amounts of cash and give them(seniors)?
Overlooking all these is ignorance in my opinion. Unless, you are a cop yourself.
I donât defend how the Ugandan law makers are handling the situation. Perhaps it is the only way they can raise temperatures for something to actually happen. Kenyans are most arrogant in East Africa, besides South Sudanese people.
MPs hawana flag, nor special plate numbers to say they are MPs
Kumbe wewe ni karau.
I was overtaking a matatu that was obstructing my path, I slowly overtook. Hakuna matata, Kenya first thing ni karau atataka hongo, utabargain.
EAC iondolewe kabisa. Huku Hatutaki ufisadi. Hongera UG